photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World Photo

Lawrence police and sheriff's deputies are stationed at the intersection of 10th and Pennsylvania Sunday evening, apparently in pursuit of a suspect who fled on foot.

A Lawrence man accused of leading police on a vehicle pursuit throughout town that resulted in a manhunt on Sunday has been arrested.

Lawrence police arrested Nicholas S. Atwell, 32, around 4:45 p.m. Monday at his home in the 1700 block of Louisiana Street on suspicion of many charges related to the incident, including aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, reckless driving and aggravated burglary, among others.

According to the state’s offender registry, Atwell was previously convicted of drug charges and attempted rape and is currently on parole.

The arrest came a day after Lawrence police and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office swarmed an East Lawrence neighborhood in an hourslong, unsuccessful search for the driver.

As the Journal-World reported, the pursuit began about 7 p.m. Sunday, when officers were dispatched to The Bourgeois Pig, 6 E. Ninth St., in reference to two intoxicated subjects parked in front of the business and drinking inside the vehicle, according to Lt. David Ernst, a police spokesman. As an officer approached on foot, the vehicle fled the area. A pursuit then ensued — passing through downtown and other parts of central Lawrence — and ultimately ended near the intersection of 10th and New Jersey streets. The driver fled the area on foot and was not located at the time.

Ernst said that after the driver fled, police were informed that the driver entered the mudroom of a residence in the 900 block of New Jersey Street and tried to force entry into the kitchen area.

Multiple neighbors told the Journal-World that a man in a silver Chevrolet crossed Connecticut Street, then abandoned his car, which had visible damage, on 10th Street next to New York Elementary. They watched as a K-9 unit was called in and the dog sniffed the suspect’s car before heading further into the neighborhood to search. The car was later towed away.

During the search, officers were stationed at multiple intersections in the neighborhood from New York Street east several blocks to Delaware Street. Many neighborhood residents lined the sidewalks, with little official information about what was happening.

“I can imagine the large police presence last night was unnerving,” Ernst told the Journal-World via email Monday afternoon. “We wanted to use all available resources to safely stop the driver’s reckless driving behaviors which included nearly striking pedestrians, other vehicles and causing minor damage to a patrol vehicle.”

The Journal-World requested Atwell’s booking photo, but has not yet received it from the sheriff’s office.